Hello,
My name is Matthew Lettington. I’m a lifelong Vancouver Island resident, father, adventurer and blogger. I have a background in visual art, I have a Bachelor of Fine Art from NSCAD University. Explorington.com is my current project. It blends my passion for the outdoors and my photography.

The written word doesn’t come naturally to me– it’s a work in progress. I’ve spent two decades developing my ability to communicate visually and now I’m working on my writing. I’m documenting my adventures, and my family’s story one adventure at a time.

Thank you for joining in my adventures. I want to hear from you. You may comment on posts or use the contact form to send me a message.

Sincerely, Matthew Lettington

Guiding Principles & Core Values

I Document Everything

I come from a Fine Arts background. This is why I struggle with my identity. I’m not sure if I’m more adventurer or artist. I travel with my camera to capture rare moments in obscure places.

I Pursue Excellence

I’m a life-long-learner. Wheather its building new skills for photography or video, building a new website or learning to repair my kayaks, life is a journey of learning.

I Create Possibilities

Vancouver Island is an amazing place to live. Adventure may be found everywhere but sometimes the trick is knowing where to look. I promote stewardship of our backcountry and part of that is inspiring everyone to use it. The more we use it and fall in love with it, the more connected we are to it and want to protect it. As we learn to love it we appreciate it for what we could lose.

I Want to Hear From You

You may think that because I’m focused on my own journey and crafting my own stories that I am not interested in yours. I am interested in yours!

Please connect with me and share your experiences. There are many ways, either through the blog, via email or on social media.

About My Process

Finding Adventure

Make Time

I’m a father. Adventure rarely just happens . It must be scheduled. I put time aside and cooperate with my wife to make it happen.

Accountability

I found a core group of friends to adventure with. They share the tasks of planning and research and keep me accountable. I don’t break the plans because I have an obligation to them.

Set Goals

Communicate about trip goal, objectives and trip plans. These two work together to foster healthy strong relationships.

Research

Picking a destination and planning a route are key factors for a sucessfull adventure. Figure out what gear you need and determine the level of risk.

Flexibility

Head out with an open mind. Seasonal weather conditions often demand a change of plans. Remaining open to change increases the likelihood that the adventure will be fun.

Photography & Video

Commit

I spend a lot of time researching the best and lightest gear to keep my pack light. I don’t sacrifice when it comes to my camera. I bring my Nikon D800 with a 28-300 lens. The 5 pounds of camera allows me to capture images I’m proud of.

Cull

I believe in the adage: you’re only as good as your last photograph. However, I’m telling a story and sometimes an imperfect image tells a better story. I ruthlessly purge unwanted images; select and delete.

Edit

I edit my images to reflect the emotion attached to the memory of place or event. Sometimes colours maybe unrealistic because they reflect how I felt in the moment when I captured the image —Dramatic, Romantic, Ephemeral, Contemplative

Geotag & Publish

The images document a place and time. I geotag them before sharing on social media, and linked within my posts

Writing

Record

A bring a moleskin note book with me on my multi-day trips. I record my thoughts, experiences and detailed directions of the trip.

Draft

When I return from a trip I write a route draft as soon as possible. I refer to the notes I made and cross reference with GPS data and photographs

Edit

So painful! Usually a draft sits for a few weeks before I start my edits

Merging Content

Placing features

Placing content on the page and merging images, GPS routes and writing

Publish

After a lenghty process of formatting the content, it’s ready to publish

Find an Audience

I’m terrible at self promotions. Unfortunately, it’s one of the more important parts of blogging. Without views, why create the content.